The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park has a new superintendent. Her name is Christine Jacobs, and she moved to San Antonio in October. So far, she said it’s a great fit.
“I'm having a great time!” she chuckled. “I'm enjoying riding bikes, I'm enjoying experience in the park. I'm a park user, whether I was at Tetons or Curecanti or Black Canyon or here.”
She explained those parks she referenced are all a part of her lengthy resume.
“I started with the National Park Service as an intern. I was a student in the late 1990s when I was finishing up my undergraduate and enjoyed positions both in the regional office in Denver, Colorado, and also serving in the field at Grand Teton National Park, Black Canyon at the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area,” Jacobs said.
She worked for the National Park Service for 15 years, then took a job at the American Battle Monuments Commission.
“It's a small agency in the executive branch that manages all the American military cemeteries outside of the United States,” she said.
For example, the cemeteries near the Allied invasion site in Normandy was under her purview.
“I'm a cultural anthropologist. I'm a historian to the core of my being,” she said.
She and her family lived in France for five years. Now, she's in San Antonio and has begun her work at the Missions National Historical Park, which was designated a World Heritage site in July of 2015.
“We have a lot of exciting opportunities on the heels of that designation as a World Heritage site and partnership opportunities galore,” she said.
Among those collaborations she’s looking to drill down on are those with the San Antonio River Authority and the San Antonio Archdiocese. As to the park’s unique cache, she cites the combination of its beautiful antiquities, and how they’re being used by South Texans rather than just being empty buildings.
“It's a living landscape that the Park Service has the privilege to maintain with its partners.”
TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.
